Meet the new boss

New US Energy Chairman: “I Don’t Think We Have to Regulate Carbon”

Fred Upton (R-MI) is the incoming chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the US House of Representatives. He used to be concerned about the “serious problem” of global climate change, which he said must “necessitate serious solutions.” But that was way back in 2009, back before it became apparent that Tea Party rhetoric was going to dominate the election cycle — and before it was accepted as conventional wisdom that anyone who uttered the word “regulation” would be dropped from conservative favor like a bag of, um, tea. Now, a whole year later, Upton says that carbon emissions are no big deal, and that, in fact, regulating them would destroy the US economy.


Here’s Think Progress:


Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), who will take control of the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week, has dramatically changed his views on regulating carbon emissions over the past several months, evolving from a position that “[c]limate change is a serious problem that necessitates serious solutions” in April 2009 to writing in the Wall Street Journal this week that he opposes any regulation of carbon emissions, and that if the EPA did so, it would be an “unconstitutional power grab that will kill millions of jobs.”

So what would make him change and reverse his position? Politics and cash – it is what is killing us all.

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